Gentle Density & Micro Multi-Use

I grew up in Calgary, Alberta and while there is a lot to admire about the city, infill houses are generally not one of the things.

You would usually see a corner lot like the one in the above example built up to the maximum floor area, with 6 - 12 units wedged together with a lack of privacy and parking... Yet, no shortage of ugly facades with bad siding materials, as if to be a constant reminder that money does not buy good taste.

These boxes for homes are typical around most densifying cities, and they are a response to the affordability crisis that we are experiencing in the housing market.

The places where people want to live and congregate are running out of affordable housing... Old lots are infilled with stacks of little boxes. (all made out of ticky-tacky) and developers are incentivized by pro-forma calculations and maximized rental profits. Especially with the generally high costs of construction.

Again in a reactive response, most governments have tried to tackle this affordability issue through enabling more of this development density. Assuming that more housing will solve the problem. However, it has further sparked social conflicts between the existing communities and their new tenants/developers. "NIMBY an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard", is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed real estate development." - Wikipedia

There seems to be no way to make everybody happy when it comes to new developments.

https://www.hindle-architects.com/kensington-corner

As an infill development, I think Kensington Corner is a great example of what people call Gentle Density. This simply meaning that the project was designed to bring on density in a gradual and non-disruptive way.

They note that the development was programmed from the outset as a Micro-scale Mixed-Use Development. Which is just finding ways to combine residential, commercial, and office spaces on a small scale.

In this case, the client went from owning their old bungalow while renting office space somewhere else. To having their home and their business headquarters all on one property.

It additionally created a space that interacts with the community in a new way.

Something that is a normal part of buildings and community development in most parts of the world. But is restricted through zoning bylaws in a lot of North American cities.

Imagine if our communities could be built from the inside out. With new housing having valuable uses built into them like fitness, studies, food or work spaces.

Overall, I think an important note is that the design has a good relationship with its Public Access and Privacy. Typically it becomes a very important focus in any community or mixed-us designs to consider the transitions from private to public spaces.

A corner lot provides a bit of a cheat code with access and flexibility. In the Kensington Corner case, it's in the name. They have taken advantage of both the street faces well, by extending the commercial access down the busier road, while the residential parking extends down the quieter one.

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Side note - Separations

Using construction techniques and material choices to make clear visual separations is something that I have noticed many high quality architects focus on achieving.

There is likely no cooler example of a mixed-use development than this striking project by Shigeru Ban.

Shigeru Ban - Cast Iron House

Please let me know if you find one. :)